Ipomoea aquatica, Vegetable
Ipomoea aquatica, of family Convolvulaceae, is a leaf vegetable found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is commonly known as Water spinach, Water Morning Glory, Water Concolvulus, Chinese spinach and Swamp Cabbage. Ipomoea aquatica is commonly grown in East and Southeast Asia, and is used extensively in Chinese and Malay cuisines. Ipomoea aquatica is a herbaceous trailing plant with milky sap. The stem, 2-3 m long, is hollow, rooting at nodes and can float in aquatic situation. The leaves are arrow-head (sagittate) to lanceolate, 5-15 cm long and 2-8 cm wide, alternate, simple, with glabrous petioles,up to 17cm long. The trumpet-shaped flower is usually white with a mauve center, 3-5 cm in diameter. The fruit is an oval or spherical capsule, woody at maturity and contain 1-4 grayish, short and hairy seeds. Ipomoea aquatica thrives naturally in waterways and require little attention. The leaves are usually stir-fried using local ingredients. It is seldom eaten raw, as it may transmit Fasciolopsis buski, an intestinal fluke parasite of humans and pigs, causing fasciolopsiasis.  Ipomoea aquatica Author: Marshman (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0-unported) | ||
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